Just a couple, I mainly read for the Kitty Norville stories.
Running with the Pack ~V^^^V
The only reason I grabbed this anthology was for the Kitty Norville short, Wild Ride by Carrie Vaughn. This is actually just a Kitty side story, she isn't in it at all. This is the story of how T.J. came to be a werewolf. After discovering he has tested HIV positive, he finds a solution after watching Alex crash his motorcycle. It was an alright story, pretty short and straight to the point.
Full Moon City ~V^^^V
This review is only for the Kitty Norville short, Kitty Learns the Ropes by Carrie Vaughn. In this story Kitty's friend Jenna wants to expose a popular boxer for a Werewolf. She takes Kitty along to help and so both of them can get the story. As with any Kitty story, things go bad and Kitty needs to rain it in. It was pretty good. ~Michelle
Hotter Than Hell ~V^^^V
I will probably go back and read all of these stories at some point. I enjoy several of the authors and have plans to read some of the others I am unfamiliar with. For now this review is for:
Dirty Magic by Kim Harrison- A story of a banshee trying to feed her baby daughter. She feeds off of emotions and has a run in with an ex lover. Was ok, rather confusing but ok.
Life is the Teacher by Carrie Vaughn- Story of Emma's first feeding. She is a new vampire and very hesitant to do the deed. In the end she "mans up" and gets the job done. It was an alright story, really not related to the Kitty series.
Dates From Hell ~V^^^V
Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil by Kim Harrison is a little side story from Ivy's point of view. At this point in the series I am still really unsure as to how the whole vampire, living and dead things works. That said I found the story a little difficult to follow and understand. I don't know if I much care for Ivy.
The Claire Switch Project by Lynsay Sands is really just a fluff romance. I love Lynsay, her humor and sexual intention come out in this story. I enjoyed it but wish that it was another Argeneau.
Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong introduces two upcoming characters in the Women of the Otherworld series. Karl and Hope are not two of my favorites but I did enjoy reading of their first meeting and adventure together.
Dead Man Dating by Lori Handeland I love Lori but I have only ever read her werewolves before. I feel like this story was a Phoenix Chronicles prequel? Not sure, either way I enjoyed it and believe I may add her PC series to my TBR pile. ~Michelle
Kitty Steals the Show (Kitty Norville #10) by Carrie Vaughn ~V^^^V
Kitty's adventure to London was basically what I expected. Kitty finds trouble, or does trouble find her?" Either way she uses her usual method of talking her way around it. She meets some new allies, and old friends. She finds new enemies and in the end gets a little preachy. I feel like Cormac really has no place in the series and should just be dropped, and for the most part we don't need so much Ben detail either as he is merely a side character, really. I liked that Vaughn is embracing the coming out issue and not just skipping past it as so many other series do. ~Michelle
Kitty Norville by Carrie Vaughn ~V^^^^V
Kitty and the Midnight Hour ~V^^^^V
A rather interesting introduction to this werewolf series. I really enjoyed the concept and the telling. I can agree that it is a little annoying when Kitty submits, but that is the nature of her wolf so I accept it. Its actually rather refreshing to have a less dominate female lead. The phone calls into Kitty's radio show are very entertaining as is her advice. Overall it was a good book, I am interested to see where Kitty goes from here so I am continuing the series, immediately.
Kitty Goes to Washington ~V^^^^V
Poor Kitty. First she was outed on the air. Now she asked to speak before a congressional committee regarding all "other" species. Taking a road trip to Washington for just that purpose was only the start to another mess. I was on edge for the the majority of this one, wondering if Kitty would find a new pack, figure out what was really going on with those government experiments and how the case before Congress would work out. This book was good, plenty of action, mystery and suspense. I can't wait to see where Kitty will end up next and how she will handle life after the big show.
Kitty Takes a Holiday ~V^^^V
So Kitty changed on public television and now she is in hiding. She buys a small secluded cabin to write her story, she takes a break from her show as well. Soon Cormac and Ben show up and help her investigate some small animal sacrifices on her land. In the meantime Ben gets bitten and Kitty takes him in so she can teach him how to be a werewolf. The story of her and Ben, while sweet, just didn't sit right with me. I really didn't see it coming and still don't think it works for me. Something about Ben just doesn't do it for me. Anyway the story was good, the only thing that kept it from being great was the lack of Midnight Hour. I really enjoy Kitty's show and was disappointed that there wasn't any show at all. Anyway on to the next one to see what Kitty does next.
Kitty and the Silver Bullet ~V^^^^^V
This book was fabulous! Kitty finally is starting to prove that she isn't as afraid of her own shadow as we suspected. A call from her father brings her back home to Denver after her long hiatus. Or should we call is hiding? Once there its one thing after another for Kitty. She happy to be back home with her family and old radio station. Her show is back on air but she is still living in fear of her old alpha. She is soon being called by her old pack asking for help. Then the cops are talking to her about how her former pack master is still at the murder game. She needs to "man" up and take a stand. For readers of this series I think this is a book that will give you some of what you have been waiting for. There was family, tragedy, happiness and some Midnight Hour again. Oh and on a side note, I have come to like Ben now. Have to say this is my favorite so far.
Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand ~V^^^^V
What could be an easier way to get married than running off to Las Vegas? Well apparently anything would be for Kitty. This book was not your typical anything that could go wrong, will before a wedding book. Kitty and Ben decide to go to Vegas for an easy wedding and a bit of vacation. Seems no time at all before Kitty has so much going on she can't even sit pool side with a frou-frou drink. She catches a show and Ben gets involved in a gambling tournament. What was nice about this book is that though Kitty is still struggling with learning to be less passive, she is learning. She takes action when needed. Sometimes she leaps before she looks but she is getting there. Again I would suggest checking out this series for a lighter, easy read.
Kitty Raises Hell ~V^^^V
When Kitty and Ben left Las Vegas they thought they had also left the sadistic cult of lycanthropes and their vampire leader behind. Things get strange though and soon she has enlisted the help of, what else but, a group of TV paranormal investigators. Rick, the Master vampire of Denver, believes a deeper plot lies behind the curse but he is hesitant do anything. Kitty does things in her usual way, through her listeners. She enlists there help, ignores the lazy, dense and frightful people and sets a trap.
Now as you can tell this story is pretty much, GO, GO, GO. This leads to some tension between her and her new husband Ben, so again SO much going on. Basically I can tell you that Kitty is moving forward and embracing the Supernatural, as she should since she is part of it. She is pretty quick to jump in and handle things now that she is Alpha. However she isn't all gusto, she does call in reinforcements when necessary. I am still enjoying this series.
Kitty's House of Horrors ~V^^^^^V
I did not see this book coming. It was crazy intense. So Kitty agrees to do a Supes Reality Show. That is not even close to surprising. What happens after is all kinds of surprising. Of course Kitty is way too curious to be a werewolf, but it definitely fits her name. She is soon asking all the questions of her house mates and snooping all around. She senses that something is amiss but can't place her finger on it.
This book was a major page turner. There was a lot of gore, death and betrayal, which made for a much more intense Kitty book than usual. I can say that I missed Ben but that is about my only complaint. I can't wait to see what Kitty gets into next.
Kitty Goes to War ~V^^^V
Not as good as the previous book. This one actually had less action but more a character related story line. Kitty gets called by a friend at the NIH's Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. They want her help finding and collecting three rogue werewolf Army soldiers recently returned from the war in Afghanistan. Of course Kitty agrees to help and soon enough she wants to collect more strays for her pack. The second story line involves Kitty running her mouth about strange goings on at the Speedy-mart, on her show. She quickly gets the attention of CEO Harold Franklin to which he responds by suing her. To fight back she enlists Cormick as an investigator. I think what made this book not as good was the tug of war between the two stories. It was hard to pick one to really follow, really they could have been two books. I am still enjoying this series and am about to start the next book.
Kitty's Big Trouble ~V^^V
There was so many fun possibilities with Kitty trying to figure out what famous people were Supes that I was saddened when it wasn't. This book really felt more like a gateway to the next book. Kitty does a Big Trouble in Little China remake in this book. It's nearly identical. I love that movie but that is merely for the campy 1980's B movie factor, in a book it's just blah. I was happy that Kitty was finally back with Ben the whole book, so that is a plus. I am interested to see what will happen in the next book, hopefully something original. I do enjoy Kitty's antics. ~Michelle
Kitty Steals the Show expected publication July 31, 2012.
Just a couple, I mainly read for the Kitty Norville stories.
Full Moon City ~V^^^V
